Wall structure



Feb. 28, 1956 H. R. SPENCER 2,736,399

WALL STRUCTURE Filed May 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

Feb. 28, 1956 HRSPENCER 2,736,399

W LL STRUCTURE Filed May 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H0. Z INVENTOR.

United States Patent O WALL STRUCTURE Herbert R. Spencer, Erie, Pa.,assignor to The Erie Enameling Company, Erie, Pa., a corporation ofPenn- .sylvania Application May 2, 1950, Serial No. 159,403

6 Claims. ((1189-64) This invention is intended to provide a curtainwall which will meet the building code standards and can replace masonryand stone wall construction. In a pre- ,7 ferred form the wall consistsof metal panels (forming the inner and outer wall surfaces) which arefastened to metal studs, constructed so as to provide a minimum of metalto metal contact between the inner and outer panels. The panels can bemade light enough to permit erection without scaffolding and can beinsulated by poured insulation either wet (light weight concrete), ordry (vermiculite or rock wool). The wall is thinner than masonry wallsof equivalent fire resistance, thereby increasing the usable floorspace. Further objects and advantages appear in the specification andclaims.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a perspective partly broken away of apartially completed curtain wall; Fig. 2 is a perspective of one of themetal panels; Fig. 3" is a section on line 3 -3 of Fig. 7; Fig. 4 is asection on line 4-4 of Fig. 7; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig.7; Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 7; and Fig. 7 is an elevationof part of a Wall.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings, the comp'leted wall comprisesa series of panels 1 or wall surface elements which may be made of fireresistant material such as porcelain enameled steel or stainless steel.Each of the panels is conveniently made in the form of a rectangular panwith top and bottom edges 2 and 3 and side edges 4 extending rearwardlyfrom the front or exposed face of the panel. Upon erection to form thecompleted wall the edges 2, 3 and 4 of adjacent panels are slightlyspaced apart to provide joints 5 which can be caulked. Both the innerand outer wall surfaces may be formed of the same type of panel.Extending upwardly from the top inner edge 2. of each panel is a flange6 provided with suitably spaced b'olt holes 7 by means of which: thepanel is attached to the framing. The flange 6 is offset to the rear ofthe edges 2, 3 and 4 as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. Extending upwardlyfrom the bottom inner edge of each panel is a flange 8 terminating in ahook 9 which either hooks over the flange 6 on the panel beneath it orhooks over a flange 10 on a starting member 11. In the completed wall,the panels are erected shingle fashion and. are fastened only at the topflanges 6.

The framing for supporting the panels, as shown :more clearly in Fig. land Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, comprises hollow vertical studs fabricatedfrom sheet metal members, porcelain enameled for rust protection, 12 and13 which are spaced apart over the greater portion of their lengtheither by an air space or by a sheet of :insulating board such asasbestos board or plaster board 14 sandwiched between the members 12 and13. The members 12 and 13 have webs 15 and 16 arranged back to back andslightly spaced apart and provided with aligned. spotwelding dimples orprojections 17 which. as shown in Fig. l are staggered along the lengthof the webs. Upon spot-welding of the projections 17, the stud members12 and 13 are rigidly joined with a minimum of through 2,736,399Patented Feb. 28, 1956 metal contact between the members. At each sideof the webs. 15 and 16 the stud members 12 and 13 are provided. withvertical channels 18 and 19 arranged face to face. The channels aresymmetrical and each have webs 20 the outer surface of which serve asbolting or attaching surfaces for the panels 1. From one aspect, thestuds consist of vertical channel sections, the central channel sectionswhich include the webs 15 and 16 being arranged back to back and thechannel sections on each side which include the webs 20 being arrangedface to face.

The studs formed by the members 12 and 13 extend either from beam tobeam or from window to. window depending upon the framing of thebuilding. The studs are not intended to carry any of the structural loadof the building but are merely intended to support the wall formed bythe panels 1, including, of course, any window frames and sash or doorforming part of the wall. A convenient structure for supporting thestuds comprises brackets 21 attached by bolting or welding tothestructural steel framework 22 of the building and hanger lugs 23 weldedor suitably attached to the web 15 of the inner stud member 12, that isthe stud member to which the panels forming the inner wall surface ofthe building are attached. The hangers support the studs and sustain theweight of the wall panels and wind loads but do not carry any of thebuilding loads. The wall construction is accordingly of the type knownas curtain wall construction in that the 'wall does not form part of thestructural framing of the building.

The panels 1 are attached to the studs by through attachments or bolts24 which. extend through the webs 2'0 and clamp the flanges 6 of thepanels 1 against the webs. Through-bolts 24 provide through metalcontact between the Webs 2%) but since this metal contact is only at twopoints on each of the panels, there is insufficient heat conduction tocause failure under the standard building code fire tests.

lln the erection, panels 1 are laid shingle fashion from the bottomtoward the top, each pair of inner and outer wall surface panels beingbolted by the through-bolts 24 through its top flange 6. The result is acurtain wall structure in which the panels 1 form both the inner andouter surfaces of the wall and are rigidly bolted to the studs whichsustain the panels. It will be noted that all of the joints 5 which areto be caulked are backed either by one of the flanges 6 or by one of thewebs 20' so the caulking material will not push through the joints.

"After each section of the wall is erected loose insulation, "such asvermiculite, may be poured between the panels and within the hollowstudding. If the building construction is such that an upper edge of thecurtain: wall is to be exposed to the weather, a cap member 25 may bebolted to the top edge of the wall at the same time that the last of thewall panels are bolted in place. Whether the cap member 25 is neededdepends upon the design of the buildings and not upon the wallconstruction.

The curtain wall construction is adapted to single and vrnulti-storybuildings. Since the curtain walls do .not carry any of the buildingloads but are merely called upon to withstand wind loads, the height ofthe building is intmaterial in so far as the use of this wall structureis concerned.

The curtain wall structure can easily be erectedwithout scafioldingprovided the individual wall panels 1 are kept to .a size which can behandled by one man. This is a desirable feature since both the inner andouter wall surfaces can be erected from the inside of the building,thereby materially reducing erection costs.

The staggered metal joints provided by the spot-welds 17 and the throughbolts 24 provide the only throughmetal conduction between the panels.The spot-welds are located remote from the points of attachment betweenthe individual panels and the studs and an indirect heat transfer pathis provided from the inner to the outer wall surfaces.

Throughout the wall through metal conduction is either eliminated orconfined to an indirect path so heat cannot be transmitted directlythrough the wall. As previously described, the only through metalconduction in the studs is at the spot-welded projections 17. Theseprojections are located at the center of the webs and 16, a substantialdistance from the inner and outer wall surfaces and are protected fromdirect heat transfer by the insulation fill. Staggering of theprojections 17 keeps the through metal conduction to a minimumconsistent with the necessary mechanical strength of the studs. Heattransfer between the members 12 and 13, which form the hollow studs isprevented by the insulating board 14 and by the insulation fill withinthe studs. The through bolts 24 which attach the panels to the studs areprotected from direct heat by the over-hanging bottom edge of the panelsabove each of the bolts. It will be noted that there is an insulationfill between each end of the bolts 24 and the exposed wall surface.Also, the edegs 3 and 4 are spaced from the flanges 6 as indicated at 26in Fig. 5, so the heat transfer from the panel above each bolt mustfollow an indirect path through the hooks 9. The only direct heattransfer path to any bolt 24 is through the top edge 2 to the flange 6through which the bolt extends. The only heat transfer path from thewall to the framing structure of the building is through the hangers 23which are attached to the webs 15 and are protected from direct heat bythe insulation fill. Not only is the through conduction of heat keptbelow the value causing failure in fire but the studs are kept coolenough so the wall can withstand the high pressure water streams.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a fire resistant wall construction having inner and outer wallsurface elements, one of which comprises a plurality of metal panelshaving attaching parts spaced inward toward the center of the wall fromthe portion of the panels forming wall surfaces, vertical studs forsupporting said wall surface elements comprising opposed spaced innerand outer metal members, a sheet of insulating board sandwiched betweenthe members and preventing direct metallic heat transfer between themajor portion of the area of the members, said members having opposedwebs on opposite sides of the insulating board, aligned pairs of dimplesextending from the opposed webs through the insulating board and spotwelded to each other, said pairs of dimples being spaced along thelength of the studs and occupying a minor portion of the area of thewebs, said inner and outer members having opposed vertical channelsoffset from the center of the wall respectively toward but short of theinner and outer wall surfaces, said channels being arranged face to faceand spaced from each other by the insulating board and having attachingsurfaces on the outer surfaces of the channels, connections between theattaching parts of the panels and the attaching surfaces of the studs,and insulation interposed between the portions of the panels forming thewall surfaces and the attaching surfaces of the studs.

2. In a fire resistant construction for a wall having inner and outerwall surfaces, hollow vertical studs comprising inner and outer metalmembers spaced apart over the greater portion of their length, saidmembers having spaced opposed webs arranged back to back at the centerof the wall and spaced out of direct metal contact except where joinedthrough aligned pairs of spot welded dimples extending toward each otherfrom the opposed webs, said pairs of dimples being spaced along thelength of the studs and occupying a minor portion of the area of thewebs, said inner and outer metal members having a pair of verticalchannels at one side of the webs spaced apart from each other and offsetrespectively toward but short of the inner and outer wall surfaces ofthe wall, said channels being arranged face to face and spaced from eachother and having attaching surfaces on the outer surfaces of thechannels, metal panels having portions forming one of the inner andouter wall surfaces, said panels having attaching parts spaced from theedges of the portions of the panels forming the wall surfaces and spacedinward toward the center of the wall from the portions of the panelsforming wall surfaces, connections between the attaching parts of thepanels and the attaching surfaces of the studs, and insulationinterposed between the portions of the panels forming wall surfaces andthe attaching surfaces of the studs.

3. In a fire resistant construction for a wall having inner and outerwall surfaces, vertical studs comprising spaced inner and outer metalmembers, a sheet of insulating board sandwiched between these membersand preventing direct heat transfer over the greater part of the studs,said members having opposed webs on opposite sides of the insulatingboard, aligned pairs of dimples extending from the opposed webs throughthe insulating board and spot welded to each other, said pairs ofdimples being spaced along the length of the studs and occupying a minorportion of the area of the Webs, vertical channels on said membersoffset from the webs respectively toward but short of the inner andouter wall surfaces and providing attaching surfaces, metal panelsforming one of the inner and outer wall surfaces, said panels havingattaching parts spaced inward toward the center of the wall from theportions of the panels forming wall surfaces, connections between theattaching parts of the panels and the attaching surfaces of the studs,and insulation interposed between the portions of the panels forming thewall surfaces and the attaching surfaces of the studs.

4. A fire resistant construction for a wall having inner and outer wallsurfaces, comprising metal panels having portions providing one of theinner and outer wall surfaces, and having attaching parts spaced inwardtoward the center of the wall from the portions of the panels formingthe wall surfaces, vertical studs comprising inner and outer metalmembers having opposed webs arranged back to back at the center of thewall and spaced out of direct metal contact except where joined throughaligned pairs of spot welded dimples extending toward each other fromthe opposed webs, said pairs of dimples being spaced along the length ofthe studs and occupying a minor portion of the area of the webs, saidinner and outer metal members each having a pair of attaching surfacesoffset from the center of the wall respectively toward but short of theinner and outer wall surfaces, through bolts extending through saidattaching surfaces and the attaching parts of the panels and insulationinterposed between the portions of the panels forming the wall surfacesand the attaching surfaces of the studs.

5. In a fire resistant metal panel wall construction having inner andouter wall surfaces, vertical studs arranged between and in spacedrelation to the inner and outer wall surfaces comprising inner and outermetal members having opposed webs at the center of the wall arrangedback to back at the center of the Wall and spaced out of direct metalcontact except where joined through aligned pairs of spot welded dimplesextending toward each other from the opposed webs, said pairs of dimplesbeing spaced along the length of the studs and occupying a minor-portionof the area of the webs, said inner and outer members each having a pairof attaching surfaces offset from the center of the wall respectivelytoward but short of the inner and outer wall surfaces, metal panelsforming one of the inner and outer wall surfaces, said panels havingattaching flanges offset inwardly from saidone wall surface and attachedto the attaching surfaces of the studs, and insulation interposedbetween the panel wall surfaces and the attaching surfaces.

6, A fire resistant construction for a wall having inner and outer wallsurfaces comprising adjacent metal panels having vertical and horizontaljoints therebetween, said panels having portions forming wall surfacesfor one of the inner and outer surfaces of the wall and having attachingparts spaced from the vertical and horizontal joints and spaced inwardfrom the portions forming wall surfaces, hollow vertical studscomprising inner and outer metal members spaced apart over the greaterportion of their length, said members having spaced opposed websarranged back to back at the center of the wall and spaced out of directmetal contact except where joined through aligned pairs of spot weldeddimples extending toward each other from the opposed webs, said pairs ofdimples being spaced along the length of the studs and occupying a minorportion of the area of the webs, said inner and outer metal members eachhaving a pair of vertical channels at one side of the webs spaced apartfrom each other and offset respectively toward but short of the innerand outer surfaces of the wall, said channels being arranged face toface and having attaching surfaces on the outer surface of the channels,the studs being recessed inward from the attaching surfaces and towardthe center of the wall opposite the vertical joints'between adjacentpanels,

bolts attaching the attaching parts of the panels to said attachingsurfaces, and insulation interposed between the panels and the recessedportion of the studs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,417,102 Nyman et a1 May 23, 1922 1,700,512 Pedersen Jan. 29, 19291,990,259 Walters Feb. 5, 1935 2,049,278 Toussaint et al July 28, 19362,076,388 Venzie Apr. 6, 1937 2,086,571 Novambere July 13, 19372,114,155 Streich Apr. 12, 1938 2,117,397 Bonsall May 17, 1938 2,128,797Bohnsack Aug. 30, 1938 2,363,164 Waller Nov. 21, 1944 2,508,032 KennedyMay 16, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES Pennsylvania Turnpike in American Builder,April 1951, page 158.

Housed in Steel, Popular Science, March 1947, page 125.

